Ohio Horsemen to Pay More for Racehorse Drug Testing

Horsemen will pay more to offset the cost of equine drug testing under a resolution adopted by the Ohio State Racing Commission (OSRC) June 27.

The Ohio Revised Code calls for the cost of one drug test per race to come from purse accounts for Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing. Overall, drug testing costs about $1 million a year in the state, the OSRC said.

Currently, $40 a race is deducted from purses for Thoroughbred races. Under the resolution, the amount will increase to $68 from July 1 through Oct. 31, 2013; $96 from Nov. 1, 2013 through Feb. 28, 2014; and $124 from March 1 through June 30, 2014. Beginning July 1 of next year, the drug-test deduction per race will be an average of actual testing costs for 2013, the OSRC said.

For harness racing, the deduction will go from the current amount of $54.50 per race to $130 per race effective March 1, 2014.

Thoroughbred and Standardbred horsemen said they have no objection to the increases.

About the Author

Tom LaMarra, a native of New Jersey and graduate of Rutgers University, has been news editor at The Blood-Horse since 1998. After graduation he worked at newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as an editor and reporter with a focus on municipal government and politics. He also worked at Daily Racing Form and Thoroughbred Times before joining The Blood-Horse. LaMarra, who has lived in Lexington since 1994, has won various writing awards and was recognized with the Old Hilltop Award for outstanding coverage of the horse racing industry. He likes to spend some of his spare time handicapping races.

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